I had a bottle of this last evening, a 750 mL bottle with a champagne style cork. I chilled it to about 46 degrees Fahrenheit and chose instead to drink it as a Bavarian might a regular Starkbier (which this indeed was), from a straight up glass.

The beer poured with a great malty head and a great dark copper colour. Great smell to it and an even better mouthfeel; I know nothing of this brewery's source for water, but I do know its incredibly soft and refreshing.

This beer went down very easily and for the 7.99 price I would easily purchase this again.

Pours a dark brown/black with almost no light permeability, when held to the light, not even the edges turn much of a color though the entire beer turns a dark black/purple carrot color. The head is large, off-white, semi quickly dissipating and leaves nice lacing.

It has alot of typical Belgian Strong Dark Ale/Quadrupel scents. Dark sugar, yest twang, dark fruits, and subtle alcohol comprise the scent. There is a hint of spice from the yeast with a heavy whiff.

The taste is sweet but not overly cloying, the high level of carbonation helps cut the sweetness. It is abundant with dark, rich flavors. It has hints of raisins, dark fruits, dried cherries (lots of fruit), caramel, toffee, yeasty twang and spice, and a subtle hint of chocolate/coffee. The alcohol is present but not overbearing.

It is highly quaffable, though dangerous at 8.5% alcohol.

Overall it was a surprising brew. It is decently expensive but worth it as an alternative to say a St. B 12 or a Gulden Draak.

Poured into an Orval goblet. Synthetic cork was a bitch to extract. I was curious as to what "dark gold" would look like, but it is indeed kind of on the brighter side of dark. Excellent retention, as you would expect for beers like this.

Aroma is that of sweet raisin bread, honey, even a little rosemary as it warms. It's probably going to be one of those beers that isn't nearly as sweet as it smells, though.

Yup. There's some sweetness up front, but it comes to that spicy-dry finish. Manages good complexity, with some honey-raisin up front and thick bready malt. Long aftertaste of clove, pear, grape. Pretty tasty beer.

Not quite as soft on the palate as the absolute best of the style, but we're still talking really good, like 4.5 instead of 5.

Quality beer from another tiny Belgian brewery. If you like dark Belgian ales, this is a solid choice. At 8.5% it comes in a little shy of your standard BSD or quad, which to me is a good thing.